Grandmother facing jail abroad

Teesside woman facing jail was "targeted"

Prosecutors in Bali announced today that they will seek a 15 year prison sentence for British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford, who was arrested earlier this year on drugs charges.

Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, an expert in the drugs trade, recently submitted written testimony to the court to suggest that the 56-year-old grandmother was coerced into smuggling the drugs through fear that her family would be harmed if she did not carry out the smuggling.

“Lindsay Sandiford was subjected to coercion by one or more parties over a period of time.

Lindsay’s vulnerability will have made her an ideal target for drugs traffickers.”

– Dr Jennifer Fleetwood

“Lindsay has been through a terrible experience – she was exploited by drug traffickers, who targeted her because of her vulnerability and her fear for the safety of her children. She was interrogated by the Indonesian police without a translator, legal representation or the assistance of the British embassy for 10 days. It would have been unthinkable for the prosecution to demand her execution. We hope that the judges take all of this into consideration when handing down their verdict."